Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

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Pathfinder
Civil Rights & Civil Liberties
PHS High School Library
October 2009

Scope: Guide to materials available through subscription databases of PHS Library and through previewed free websites relating to Supreme Court cases affecting civil rights and civil liberties.

Resource List: Click here for DestinyQuest.jpg for a list of print resources available in the PHS Library. Click on Civil Rghts in the Resource Lists ClipBoard.

Subscription Databases: See library staff for user names and passwords.

  • American History Online: Spans more than 500 years of political, military, social, and cultural history, highlighting the important people and events of the American experience. You can browse the civil rights topics by clicking on the Events and Topics link and scrolling down to the Civil Liberties link. To search, use your topic as search terms/keywords. Tabs across the search result screen indicate the type of resource. Use tabs to find Biographies, Events& Topics, Primary Sources, Images & Video and Maps & Chart.

  • SIRS Knowledge Source: SIRS Knowledge Source (SKS) is a comprehensive database portal which is comprised of several distinct reference databases including SIRS Researcher®, SIRS Government Reporter®, SIRS Renaissance®, SKS WebSelect™, SIRS Discoverer®, and Discoverer WebFind™. Updated daily, SKS provides relevant, credible information on social issues, science, history, government, the arts and humanities. Full-text articles and Internet resources are carefully selected from thousands of domestic and international publications and respected organizations. Begin your research by performing a subject heading search. That will bring up a list of LC Subject Headings related to your search terms. If you are not returning many results through subject heading searches, try a keyword search. SIRS is not as intuitive as some of the other databases, so you need to be more flexible in your search terms and strategies. SIRS has an online Quick Start Guide with more detailed search strategies. Click here U.S. Supreme Court to go directly to a list of subject headings related to the Supreme Court and its decisions.


The following databases are published by Gale and have similar interfaces and use similar search strategies. You can search each database individually or search them simultaneously by using Gale’s . Click Subject Guide to begin your research.

  • Gale Virtual Reference Library: Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. These reference materials once were accessible only in the library, but now you can access them online from the library or remotely 24/7. This collection includes reference materials funding by the NYSL and those purchased by PHS.

  • Opposing Viewpoints: Information on today's hottest social issues. Features include viewpoint articles, full-text magazine and newspaper articles, primary source documents, statistics, images and podcasts, and links to Websites.

  • Student Resource Center : Broad database offering resources in literature, cultures, science, history, and geography. Full-text articles from reference works, primary sources, and periodicals.

Free Websites:

  • ACLU’s 100 Greatest Hits: Landmark Supreme Courts cases in which the ACLU played a major role, either as direct counsel or as a friend-of-the-court.


  • FindLaw: FindLaw's searchable database of the Supreme Court decisions since 1893 (U.S. Supreme Court Decisions: U.S. Reports 150-, 1893-). Browsable by year and US Reports volume number and searchable by citation, case title and full text.

  • First Amendment Center: The First Amendment Center works to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education. The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, including freedom of speech, of the press and of religion, and the rights to assemble and to petition the government.

  • Landmark Supreme Court Cases: Although this site is directed to teachers, it provides resources and activities that help students analyze landmark Supreme Court cases such as Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education. Biographies of Supreme Court justices, questions to consider, political cartoon analysis, full text of the cases, and more are provided.

  • Legal Information Institute: The Legal Information Institute at Cornell University's Law School offers a wide range of legal information. Researchers can access online versions of the U.S. Code, Supreme Court opinions, and decisions by various federal and state courts. A variety of law related documents and regulations are available here as well, including: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, and the Uniform Commercial Code. State constitutions and codes are also provided at this comprehensive site.

  • On the Docket: This site "offers continually updated coverage of the cases pending before the United States Supreme Court. The coverage includes a current listing of pending cases, a story on each case, additional feature stories on selected cases, the questions presented to the Court, citations for the lower court opinions, and more. The coverage dates back to the 1998-99 term." (NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY)

  • Oyez Oyez Oyez: The Supreme Court: This site profiles the Supreme Court Justices and the cases of the court. For each case you may read an "Abstract," which summarizes the facts of the case, the question presented, and the conclusion of the case. You may also read the more expansive "Written Opinion" of the case. Cases may be searched for by title, citation, subject, or date. Lastly, be sure to play the baseball quiz game that compares baseball greats to Supreme Court Justices. Some pages of this site load slowly.


  • Supreme Court of the United States: This comprehensive site offers background information about the history and current activities of the U.S. Supreme Court. Included are sections concerning court rules, case handling guidelines and the court's calendar.

Link to Mr. Henley's Wiki: American-Flag.jpg